How to Tell If a Mango is Ripe

What is a Mango?

A mango is a delicious tropical fruit that is indigenous to the Indian Subcontinent and cultivated in tropical regions. The mango is a stone fruit and grows on trees that can grow up to 130 feet tall.

The mango is delicious as a snack on its own, in a smoothie, or it can even be used to make a delicious salsa.

Although the mango is delicious and tasty, it is still somewhat exotic to the typical shopper who may not know how to determine whether a mango is ripe or not. Don't be discouraged, simply check out these tips for how to tell whether or not a mango is ripe and you will have no worries about taking home a ripe mango the next time you are in the grocery store.

Ripe Mangoes | Source

How to Test If a Mango is Ripe

In order to determine whether a mango is ripe or not, you simply need to follow the "squeeze and smell" test.

SqueezeThe first step to determining whether a mango is ripe is to squeeze the mango or press your thumb into a mango. A ripe mango should be soft and give to the pressure of your squeeze. If the mango is hard, it is not ripe and will need to be ripened--don't worry, there are tips below for how to ripen a mango!

SmellAnother way to determine whether a mango is ripe is to take a whiff. A ripe mango will have a sweet smell. If the mango does not smell sweet, it is not ripe.

How to Ripen a Mango

What to do if the only mangoes at the store are not ripe but you want to enjoy the delicious tropical snack? Don't worry, there are tricks to speed up the process and a ripen a mango. In order to ripen a mango, simply store it in a paper bag at room temperature and it will ripen much quicker than if left in the refrigerator or out on its own.

How to Keep a Mango Fresh

A ripe mango will stay fresh longer if stored in the refrigerator A mango will also taste sweeter if it is cold rather than room temperature.

How to Cut a Mango

How to Dice a Mango

Wash the mango and leave on the peel.

Cut the mango lengthwise into three pieces, making room for the thin seed in the middle of the mango.

Take the two "cheeks" (the pieces with the rounder, peel not the middle with the seed) and cut parallel lines in a checkerboard fashion being careful not to cut the skin.

Either scoop the diced mango out with a spoon or push the peel up so that the mango cheek can lie flat and slice the diced mango off of the peel.